2011 May
You know, for a moving graphic image … he’s pretty cut
I don’t have a lot of commentary about this Thor piece by Carlos Lerms except to say that this is why animated GIFs were created.
- May 24, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Michael May
Is Green Lantern the psychedelic superhero movie we’ve been waiting for?
“I think audiences are ready [for more challenging superhero films]. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anyone in Hollywood who could drum up the $300 million it would take to make [a Final Crisis movie]. But entertainment has changed, again. We’ve been concerned with realism for a while, but we’re getting back into psychedelia and fantasy again. Look at James Cameron’s Avatar or Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which are two of the most successful films of the last two years. Both happened to catch a wave that few were ready for.”
–Grant Morrison in Wired, November 2010
My recent entrance into the world of fatherhood has done to my theatergoing what Bane did to Batman’s back, but that hasn’t kept me from eagerly anticipating new superhero movies, for good or for ill, nor has it stopped me from picking them apart with my friends. During one such recent discussion about Kenneth Branagh’s hit Thor adaptation, two of my friends said it feels a lot like Marvel Studios’ other movies — one of them meant it as a compliment, the other as a criticism, but both agreed that this similarity was the plan all along. Thor’s roots in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s cosmic take on the Norse myths may be a million miles away from Iron Man’s weapons-manufacturer-turned-roguish-hero science fiction, but both properties are being filtered through Marvel Studios’ version of Marvel Comics’ “as close to the real world as the presence of superheroes will allow us to get” tone — specifically, the military-industrial version thereof that was pioneered, I’d say, by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s The Ultimates a decade ago. Most of the other big superhero movies have been similarly earthbound, aesthetically speaking, from Christopher Nolan’s dark, Chicago-set Batman movies to the paramilitary jumpsuits of Bryan Singer’s X-Men. In those cases you could make a reasonable argument that toning things down made sense. In other cases, like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, making Spidey as much of an everyman as possible is part and parcel of the concept’s appeal.
- May 24, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Sean T. Collins
Kevin Colden has a little of the Ludwig Van
Kevin Colden gave himself the challenge of adapting Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange into a 150-page comic script. Then he went a step further and drew several of those pages. Here’s a taste, but be sure to click the link for the rest.
- May 24, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Michael May
Super Putin, the Vladimir Putin comic the world’s been waiting for
Super Putin, Man Like Any Other
Bless Agence France-Presse for spotlighting Super Putin, Man Like Any Other, a wonderfully illustrated and delightfully over-the-top webcomic by writer Sergei Kalenik and apparently unidentified artists.
Set in Moscow in spring 2011, “one year before the world ends,” the comic casts Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as a gi-wearing action hero who, assisted by bear suit-wearing sidekick President Dmitry Medvedev, saves a busload of people from a bomb in a storyline that’s equal parts Speed, Night Watch and The Walking Dead. There’s also a little bit of political commentary sprinkled in. “We wanted to stir Russia’s depressing political scene and create some dialogue,” Kalenik tells AFP.
Super Putin can be read in English here.
- May 24, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
Kickstart my art | Help resurrect Varney the Vampire
Bram Stoker’s Dracula may be the most famous vampire novel, but it wasn’t the first: James Malcolm Rymer’s Varney the Vampire; or, the Feast of Blood, published in serialized issues in the mid-1840s, prefigured not only modern vampire stories but modern emo-vampire stories, with a fanged hero who drinks people’s blood and feels just terrible about it afterward. You can read the book on Project Gutenberg if you have a couple of months to spare — it’s over 800 pages long — but outside the shadowy regions of the Internet, Varney is pretty obscure.
Until now! Writer Scott Massino and artist Marcio Takara (whose credits include Incorruptible and The Incredibles, both for BOOM! Studios) are raising funds on Kickstarter for a Varney the Vampire comic that restores this lost character to his rightful place in popular culture. Massino’s Varney is an undead rock guitarist who is determined to reclaim his legacy. He bribes his screenwriter nephew Simon to write a movie script about his life, but a coven of witches is getting in the way. From the pitch:
“Shadow of the Vampire” meets “Get Shorty” and “Crossroads” in this hilarious and horrifying take on the vampire genre that blends the garish pop humor of such adult cartoons as “Family Guy” and “South Park.”
The project seems to be pretty well thought out—these guys don’t just have a charcter and a plot, they have a theme as well—and, according to this local-boy-makes-good article, Massino has the first story arc completely worked out. The first issue is done, and the Kickstarter funding will go toward the next two. They hope to either pitch it to Image or publish it themselves; either way, this is a pair to watch.
- May 24, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Breakfast with the Blooms: Ulysses Seen continues on web, iPad
Bloomsday is just around the corner, and that reminds us that work is continuing on Rob Berry’s Ulysses Seen, a graphic adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses, luminously illustrated by Berry and Josh Levitas. The adaptation is going in chronological order of Leopold Bloom’s doings on June 16, 1904, rather than in the order of the book, so the fourth chapter of the book, “Calypso,” is the second chapter of the comic. Berry and Levitas follow Bloom around his kitchen and the streets of Dublin as he fixes breakfast, daydreams, picks up a kidney, brings his wife Molly tea and toast … it’s very atmospheric, and captures the visuals of the prose book in a nice way.
An extra bonus is Mike Barsanti and Janine Utell’s Reader’s Guide, which explains the more arcane references and points out the inspirations for the art. Rob tells me that there is new material about to debut on the webcomic site, and the Calypso chapter will be up on the iPad in time for Bloomsday. (You may remember there was a bit of controversy about the first chapter, Telemachus; Apple has since rethought its policy, and Ulysses Seen will make it to the iPad intact.)
- May 24, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by Brigid Alverson
Comics A.M. | Borders loses another $132M; Rubenstein exits Marvel
Borders
Retailing | Borders Group, the second-largest book chain in the United States, reported a loss of $132.3 million in April, its second full month in bankruptcy. That figure follows on the $52.6 million loss reported in February and March as the bookseller sought Chapter 11 protection and began liquidating 226 locations. [Detroit Free Press]
Publishing | Ira Rubenstein, executive vice president of Marvel’s Global Digital Media Group, has left the company to become executive vice president of digital marketing for 20th Century Fox. He begins the new job in Los Angeles on Monday. Rubenstein joined Marvel in 2008 after 12 years at Sony, and oversaw the launch of the publisher’s digital subscription service. His departure comes less than two weeks after news surfaced that Ron Perazza is resigning as DC Entertainment’s vice president of online. [Variety]
Publishing | Ada Price surveys the graphic novel exhibitors at this year’s BookExpo America, which opens today in New York City. [Publishers Weekly]
- May 24, 2011 @ 06:55 AM by Kevin Melrose
Stan the Man gets his own app
Stan Lee may be well past 80, but he’s always willing to move with the times. During the manga boom, he wrote a manga series, Ultimo, that was actually published in Japan before making it to the United States.; now that digital is the Next Big Thing, he has his own iPad/iPhone app. The app works the same way most comics apps do — it’s free to download, and it includes a couple of free comics (first issues) as well as more comics that you buy within the app.
Lee’s new app features all the comics he has done for BOOM! Studios, which is a healthy handful (Lee just thinks up the ideas — other people write and illustrate them): Soldier Zero, The Traveler and Starborn.
Interestingly, though, the app is published by iVerse, while the BOOM! app is based on the comiXology platform. While the iVerse flagship app, Comics+, carries BOOM! titles, they only added Lee’s comics today — and they are also up top in the featured position on comiXology’s Comics app. So not only is Lee getting his own app, he’s getting some extra juice from other digital distributors.
- May 23, 2011 @ 04:00 PM by Brigid Alverson
Talking Comics with Tim | Rico Renzi
HeroesCon 2011
Not to mince words, HeroesCon is my San Diego. Scheduled for June 3-5 at the Charlotte Convention Center this year, I recently caught up with Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find Creative Director Rico Renzi, to discuss what to look forward to at HeroesCon 2011. Anyone that has read my past con reports knows how much I always enjoy this family friendly/comics focused con, and will not be surprised to learn I will be in attendance again this year. Thanks to Renzi for the interview and for giving us the scoop that Farel Dalrymple is returning to the con this year. I was also enthused to learn the con is trying a Friday night event this year, as well as introducing a new section of the convention floor devoted to comic strip creators.
Tim O’Shea: How are things shaping up with less than a month to go before the con, starting to panic? Planning-wise, how do you and Shelton Drum (con founder/organizer and owner of Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find) divvy up the heavy lifting of making this con happen?
Rico Renzi: HeroesCon is like breathing to Shelton so I’m pretty sure he’s not panicking. This is my first time doing anything like this so, yeah I think there’s some pressure on me. Maybe I get a pass since this is my first year though? Dustin Harbin has been a great help showing me the ropes on a few things, especially the floor plan. Deciding where everyone is going to sit seems like the hardest job to me right now. Aside from that we get great help from our warehouse manager, Seth Peagler. Whether I need someone to brainstorm with or edit my blog posts, Seth is my guy. Also, Andy Mansell has been instrumental in planning and coordinating our programming. These guys keep me sane!
- May 23, 2011 @ 03:00 PM by Tim O'Shea
Quote of the day | Stop fussing about Wonder Woman and just do
Why did David E Kelly's Wonder Woman pilot fail?
In his response to ICv2′s question about whether Wonder Woman is a cursed concept, Tom Spurgeon suggests that they — and everyone else — may be overthinking it.
Sure, an invisible airplane could look dopey if you do it one way, but I imagine it could be the coolest thing in the world if you do it another. I’ve said this before, but once you realize that Wonder Woman could absolutely get over if she were to crash that invisible airplane of hers into the front of Wayne Manor and beat the holy guano out of Batman for 15 minutes in the middle of his next movie, just punching him right down long hallways, it becomes clear that there are several ways for a character like that to work. You have just to stop fussing over the character and do one of them.
I agree for a couple of reasons. First of all, though I have a ton of respect for the recent Wonder Woman writers who have spent a lot of time thinking about who the character is and what a story about her should focus on, there comes a time when you have to put that aside and — to paraphrase Gail Simone — just have her fight some talking gorillas on top of a waterfall.
- May 23, 2011 @ 02:00 PM by Michael May
John Rozum curates the Grim Gallery
"Nosferatu" by Dave McKean
John Rozum is known to comics fans primarily for his horror work, from the current Xombi and recent Hangman for DC Comics to creator-owned work like Midnight, Mass. and licensed comics like The X-Files and even Scooby-Doo. He’s also the World’s Biggest Halloween Fan. The holiday, not the movie. Though I supposed he likes the movie, too. I should ask him.
Anyway, Rozum’s started a new blog, The Grim Gallery in which he shares images from his extensive collection of horror photos and art. Like the Dave McKean piece above. It’s just getting started, so horror fans can catch up quickly, but Rozum’s updating daily, so there’ll be plenty to keep you coming back.
- May 23, 2011 @ 01:00 PM by Michael May
Robot 6 presents Icarus #2, page 4
Icarus is a comic by Ryan Cody and is serialized here on Robot 6, with new pages every Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Comments welcome.
Ryan Cody is the creator, artist, writer, & colorist of ICARUS, a bi-monthly super-powered adventure/espionage book published through Super 75 Comics. Ryan’s past projects include illustrating the graphic novel VILLAINS forViper
Comics as well as contributing to the Eisner-Award winning anthology, Popgun Vol.3, from Image comics.ICARUS #1 is currently available as both a .99 digital download and in print. For more information or to order a print copy of ICARUS, please visit www.super75comics.com
- May 23, 2011 @ 12:00 PM by Ryan Cody
Kramers Ergot 8 due in November from PictureBox
Looks like the mother of all post-millennial art/alt-comix anthologies is about to get a makeover. Last Thursday, editor Sammy Harkham and publisher Dan Nadel of PictureBox Inc. announced the November 2011 release of Kramers Ergot 8, the latest installment in Harkham’s “this is why the word ‘seminal’ exists” anthology series. According to Harkham and Nadel, the new volume will mark a break from the four previous, sprawling, all but physically intimidating collections — a smaller, more focused effort, featuring longer 16-24-page stories from about a dozen creators, working with the same aesthetic end in mind instead of the potpourri of approaches evident in earlier volumes. The line-up includes Harkham, cover designer Robert Beatty, Gary Panter, Gabrielle Bell, C.F., Kevin Huizenga, Ben Jones, Jason T. Miles, Leon Sadler, Johnny Ryan, Frank Santoro & Dash Shaw, Anya Davidson, Ron Rege Jr., Ron Embleton & Frederic Mullally.
- May 23, 2011 @ 11:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
When comics history attacks: Read Gary Groth’s controversial Jack Kirby interview
“Stan Lee and I never collaborated on anything! I’ve never seen Stan Lee write anything. I used to write the stories just like I always did.”
“It wasn’t possible for a man like Stan Lee to come up with new things — or old things for that matter. Stan Lee wasn’t a guy that read or that told stories. Stan Lee was a guy that knew where the papers were or who was coming to visit that day. Stan Lee is essentially an office worker, OK? I’m essentially something else: I’m a storyteller.”
“On The Fantastic Four, I’d tell him what I was going to do, what the story was going to be, and I’d bring it in — that’s all.”
“I created Spider-Man. We decided to give it to Steve Ditko. I drew the first Spider-Man cover. I created the character. I created the costume. I created all those books, but I couldn’t do them all.”
If you listen closely, you can still hear comics’ collective jaw dropping upon reading the above quotes, and many more like them besides, from Jack Kirby’s bombshell 1990 interview in The Comics Journal, conducted by editor and publisher Gary Groth. And now that the Journal has posted the interview online in its entirety, jaws will likely drop all over again.
It’s a fascinating document. Here you have the King of Comics himself, angry and exhausted from years of feuding with Marvel over credit and access to his original art, feeling personally slighted by the company’s other guiding light and figurehead Stan Lee, lashing out with the kind of bombast usually reserved for his spectacularly cosmic comics. In the course of recounting his career (with a little help from his wife Roz), Kirby basically takes sole credit for the creation of the entire Marvel Universe, from the Fantastic Four to Thor to the Hulk to the Avengers to even Spider-Man, relegating Lee to the role of an office boy and credit thief whose only contribution to most of the comics for which the pair shared billing was slapping his name on them and collecting checks.
Kirby’s boldest claims here have proven tough for even his most ardent defenders to swallow — and indeed he goes much further here in asserting sole authorship of the Lee/Kirby co-creations than he ever had in the past — but what his recollections may lack in historical accuracy they gain in evincing the passion he still felt for the work, the degree to which Marvel and Lee’s treatment of him hurt, and, as always, the astonishing imaginative power with which he infused every character he touched. Read the whole thing.
- May 23, 2011 @ 10:00 AM by Sean T. Collins
Start reading now: Travelogue
Jean Tripier’s Travelogue is sort of a gag strip for smart people. The comics are thoughtful as well as funny, and they come with little explanations on the side. Each one is a single concept—changing times as embodied in a series of airline announcements stretching from the present to the future, for instance—so they are quick little reads, like sequential Minute Meditations. Tripier’s art is anything but cartoony; he favors a textured watercolor-and-ink style that stands on its own very well. The one thing I don’t like about these comics is the way they are presented: Each comic is in a little window that only shows half the panel. Clicking on the image brings up a small version of the whole comic; clicking on that brings up a bigger picture, which is an awful lot of work for the reader—I would rather see the comic fill as much of the browser window as possible, especially because Tripier’s art is worth a good look.
Tripier also has three longer pieces online, all still relatively short (6 to 16 pages) and all worth a look. They use a standard full-page display, which makes them easier to read. Absurdia, which 13 pages long, is the story of the last man to die in World War I (but of course it’s really about more than that…). London, at only 6 pages, is Tripier’s memory of the London subway bombing of 2005. A Close Shave is my favorite, for both the art and the story—I won’t spoil it by telling what it is.
These short comics are quick to read—you could easily go through all of them in less than half an hour—but they have a way of staying with you. I’d like to see more of them; fortunately, Tripier seems to be updating Travelogue pretty aggressively, with five comics so far this month. And for one more bit of long-form Tripier, check out Elodie Goes Surfing, a slice-of-life comic from an unusually interesting life.
- May 23, 2011 @ 09:00 AM by Brigid Alverson